Hourglass Immaculate Foundation Review

I've been looking forward to doing this review on my blog for a while now, but I knew that I wanted to take my time and collect all my thoughts on it carefully before writing them down. But basically the Hourglass Immaculate Liquid to Powder Foundation has been an enormous game changer for me. I had never even heard of this foundation but as I explained in my recent haul a lady working on the Hourglass counter introduced me to it and I sort of haven't looked back since.

Immaculate is a liquid foundation but as the name suggests it does turn to powder making it a matte foundation. I've never owned a matte foundation but I was willing to give this a go as its supposedly great for acne prone skin because it absorbs your skin's natural oils which as a result gives you this fantastically long wearing foundation, two big ticks already. When you apply this foundation it feels lovely and silky, not what I expected from something claiming to be matte - however because it does turn to powder you don't want to hang around buffing this into the skin as it sort of sets relatively quickly.

Once buffed into the skin (recommended with a brush) this foundation becomes what I can only describe as weightless, it literally feels like I'm not wearing a scrap of makeup which for a medium to full coverage foundation is amazing. This tackles redness, covers blemishes well and gives my skin an effortlessly flawless finish. I was expecting the finish to be somewhat flat because it is a matte foundation however it makes your skin look so vibrant and healthy.

One thing that I would say is that properly moisturizing your face and neck ahead of using this is essential because of its matte tendencies or it will highlight any dryness. But as long as you apply a moisturizer beforehand you should be fine. My skin type is normal so I can get away with wearing this however if you are dry then I'm not sure how well this foundation would work, however for all the oily skinned girls out there this would be fabulous.

I was matched to the shade porcelain which is an absolutely perfect match to my skin tone. Since using this my skin has seemed a lot calmer, I haven't had any crazy out of control breakouts. My skin just seems to agree with this foundation, I can wear it on a daily basis and it doesn't cause any breakouts which is another bonus as I find so many foundations upset my skin.

I cannot even begin to explain what this foundation has done for me in terms of confidence and for that alone it has been worth every penny for me.  Which brings me on to the price tag, yes this is probably one of the heftiest priced foundations on the market at a steep £50 but the quality is 100% reflected in the price. To me it has no downfalls at all which makes it worth the money, it honestly lasts on your face all day so you don't need to make touch ups meaning what you apply in the morning will still be looking as good by the time you go to take it off. It comes in a glass bottle with a pump which feels quite luxurious but I suppose you would expect that from such a high end product.

Before Immaculate I had lost a bit of love and trust in my foundations as none of them were cutting it either the shades weren't right or the coverage wasn't there. Basically I wasn't very satisfied but now I actually look forward to putting on my makeup each morning as I know I am going to get gorgeous results every time. Definitely the best makeup purchase I've made this year.

Wearing Hourglass Immaculate Foundation

QOTD: Have you tried Immaculate? What's your favourite high end foundation?

Fragrance Focus: Jo Malone Plum Blossom

Earlier this month Jo Malone released the brand new Blue Skies & Blossoms collection, a 'playful and carefree collection of scents' which saw the release of three of the brands most popular blossom fragrances. Jo Malone, limited edition, blossoms? I was all over it. As soon as I heard the collection had hit the stores I was up to my local boutique to take a sniff of the three limited edition offerings. Honestly I thought they were all stunning but at £86 a pop, buying all three was clearly out the question. A girl can dream right?

I had in my hand three white Jo Malone paper test sticks with each of the new blossom scents sprayed on them, and I could have happily done an eeny-meeny-miny-moe and still walk away satisfied. However one scent did stick out to me most and that was the Plum Blossom cologne: succulent, juicy and so, so feminine. Although it smells nothing like Orange Blossom, Plum Blossom does remind me of it slightly in the way that it is both flowery yet fruity as well. Slightly on the rich side - but still very fresh and not at all 'heavy', this is one of those colognes that is quite distinguishable on the skin. I recommend spraying this behind the ear as the scent settles easily on the skin there and you are often left catching whiffs of its loveliness as your hair moves.

Effortlessly elegant with a subtly flirty edge, Plum Blossom makes me feel rather sweet and ladylike.
Whenever I wear this perfume I get the notion that I ought to whip on a pretty maxi skirt, the sort that flows gracefully when you walk and generally makes you feel like a bit of a feminine goddess. Such a beautiful scent. I'm sure I say this with all my JM's but Plum Blossom could fit any occasion, a real classic and suitable come day or night. Inspired by spring blossoms perhaps but this would work timelessly all year round. This could smell incredibly sexy and edgier with one of the Cologne Intense range - I'm thinking maybe a combination with Oud & Bergamot or Tuberose Angelica... oooh. I'll report back.

And, oh did I mention how much I adore the bottle? Housed with true Jo Malone styled limited edition embellishments, the usually classic silver lid replaced with royal purple and a cute as a button bow. I couldn't be more smitten.

QOTD: Have you taken a look at the Blue Skies and Blossoms collection from Jo Malone?

Quick Tip: Smooth Feet Guaranteed

Feet. The word alone is enough to make some shudder and grimace. But whether you like feet or not its coming up to that time of year again where they begin to make an appearance out in public. Sandals, backless shoes, flip flops will all be getting fished out the back of the wardrobes before long. The feet are a part of the body that seem to get a bit of a bad reputation and as a result they can become something that people become very conscious about.

Having worked as a Foot Health Practitioner for the last year now, this is a topic I know well. If you're after smooth feet this summer, it really can be as simple as you make it.

Step 1: You need to reduce the hard skin. This is where a professional* comes in, we are properly trained to use tools and equipment that are most effective in reducing hard skin and we can get to all those 'hard to reach' areas on the foot - remember hard skin isn't just restricted to your heels.

Step 2: You must maintain a regular foot care routine. Its all very well getting a professional to eliminate your hard skin, but you need to keep it up because at the end of the day if you're active and on your feet frequently it will eventually come back. Getting into a routine is going to help maintain the condition of your feet: make it simple so its something you know you will keep up with it. Applying a foot cream daily will help keep the skin smooth. CCS Foot Care Cream is what I use on my clients and my own feet, its available to buy in Boots  (would anyone be interested in a full review? Comment below!) Foot files and other at home foot care devices are useful to buff away dead skin in between the practitioner's visits.

Step 3: Arrange a follow up treatment plan.  Usually schedule a revisit within a couple of months. I visit clients on a regular basis who comply to a foot care routine with me visiting and their maintenance in between and the results are clear to see.

Step 4: Enjoy flaunting your feet. If you follow these steps you will notice a difference fairly quickly!

My own heels.

* To find Foot Health Practitioners in your area its often worth checking out local magazines.

Things Got Spendy: An Hourglass Haul

Hourglass is one of those luxury brands that I have admired from afar. When a counter opened at my nearest John Lewis department store last summer I managed to stay away with just one purchase which was their Arch Sculpting Brow Pencil which if you've read my review was a bit of a hit and miss product for me. I think that my mixed feelings on the brow pencil kept me away for a while, however a couple of weeks ago I happened to make a detour and pass the Hourglass counter. I was stood absentmindedly looking at all the beautiful products - I mean honestly I think their items are some of the most beautiful products out there - I must have been looking like a lost puppy as I was approached by the makeup artist.

I happened to be having a bit of a makeup free day - just an eye makeup/lipstick kind of thing going on, and I have to say my skin was looking dreadfully sorry for itself. The lady on the counter didn't miss out on my bare blemished skin either, as she began pointing me in the direction of the foundations. She was chatting away to me about one of their foundations: Immaculate Liquid to Powder and was basically telling me how amazing it was. Admittedly I'd never heard of it before but I listened with interested anyway.

At the time I wasn't really looking for a new foundation, I was just having an innocent, casual browse, but the girl really did seem pretty passionate and seriously knew her stuff about this foundation. I was offered a colour match and so I thought, why not it can't hurt? The girl told me to take a seat at the counter while she found my colour, she tried two on my jawline: one was a bit too pink toned for me however the second was literally the closest colour match to my skin that I have ever seen in a foundation. And it felt so... weightless.

Right away it had my attention. And so I let the girl apply the foundation to my entire face while she continued to talk about the ingredients inside the product and some of the science behind it. The result of the makeup was seriously impressive. My imperfect skin was transformed to, well almost what you would call perfection. When she was finished the girl handed me a sample to take home and try myself which I was really pleased about, too often I think I have bought foundations on a whim without actually giving them a trial before purchasing. Plus there was no way I was going to go out and buy such an expensive luxurious product without doing a bit of my own research.

You can see where the story ends here. I fell head over heels. And so once I had saved many pennies up I headed back to Hourglass, unable to be without the foundation once my sample had run out. I won't say a lot more because I am going to do a full review on this soon. But I will say for now its been worth every penny. And while I was feeling ridiculously high on my splurge to Hourglass I went all out and picked up one of the Ambient Lighting Powders in Diffused Light. Now these I had heard plenty about and I thought there was no better time than to add one to my makeup collection as they are truly stunning. I most certainly am loving Hourglass as a brand at the moment and I also got a handful of free goodies to try with my purchase including a mascara, lipstick and some of their famous veil primer!

QOTD: What beauty products have you splurged on lately?